The glory days of weapons development resulted in “the Big Five” — the Abrams tank, the Bradley infantry vehicle, the Apache and Blackhawk helicopters and the Patriot air-defense system. But that was more than three decades ago. These days it’s more likely that a weapons development program will result in congressional hearings than a new weapon. Procurement expert Col. David Trybula says we shouldn’t glorify the era, and tells In Depth about debunking nostalgia and today’s development dry spell.

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Jim Lewis — Director and Senior Fellow, Technology and Public Policy Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

The first large-scale cyberwar attack is widely recognized to be Russia’s attack on Estonia in 2007. The president of Estonia recently spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies about the attack and how it has spurred huge advances in cybersecurity in that country. Jim Lewis, a senior fellow at CSIS, talks to Francis Rose about lessons we can learn from the attack.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.

Michael Gatje — Partner, Husch Blackwell

A new proposal from the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force will open up $7 billion to renewable energy projects, reflecting a growing partnership between the military and the alternative energy industry. Michael Gatje, a partner at Husch Blackwell, talks to In Depth about what this could mean for contractors.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.

Susie Alderson — Navy scientist, “Mother of MRAP”

Navy scientist Susie Alderson, has earned a unique nickname in her long career — “Mother of MRAP.” Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are credited with saving countless lives in Iraq, and Alderson is largely credited with convincing the military to use them. She joins In Depth to talk about her nickname.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.